There are six main causes for dog skin problems: Environmental, Parasitic, Bacterial, Allergies, Nutritional and Neurogenic. Of these six, Neurogenic is often the most troublesome disorder and the hardest to treat. Lets take a look at the symptoms, causes and treatment of these Neurogenic problems.

Photo: natural-holistic-skin-care.com

The symptoms for this problem includes obsessive, persistent licking of one particular spot. The dog will pick one part of his body and seems intent on destroying it, chewing it relentlessly until a sore has developed or he has, in extreme cases, actually maimed a part of his body.
 
This disorder is considered to be a nerve or a "mental" problem of the dog. Some of the different causes could be boredom, loneliness, separation anxiety, being confined and not enough exercise. This is seen happening a lot in cases where the owners of the pet become too busy to give the dog the proper attention that he needs. Dogs are meant to be dogs and all have different personalities and traits that are common to their breed. High energy dogs just cannot tolerate being confined to small apartments or even to houses with small backyards. They need plenty of exercise. The same is true for working dogs, collies, herd dogs, shepards, and hunting dogs. Confine these dogs without proper exercise and you could have a neurogenic problem develop.
 
Before you try to treat your dog for a neurogenic dog skin problem, take your pet to a veterinarian to rule out the possibility of any other causes. The first treatment you should try is to identify what is causing your dog emotional distress - boredom or loneliness? Not enough attention and exercise? Confinement or separation anxiety. Address these problems and give your dog what he needs. This will usually take care of the problem. In more severe cases, you may need to take your dog to a Behaviorist to train him out of the problem.
 
Whatever the cause of your dog skin problem, once you discover the cause, it is easy to treat. Love your dog and give him the care he needs and he will pay you back many times over.

For more information about dog skin problems, go to http://www.DogSkinProblem.info - We have articles on many different types of dog health issues.
 

A Puggle is a great dog to keep in the city. Although their Beagle blood makes them energetic little dogs, they are not over active and are happy living in an apartment. A porch or patio for them to lounge around in when the weather is nice if great, but they are happy without these luxuries.

Photo: petsworldri.com

The Puggle is a sociable little dog and likes to have people around. With a calm, gentle and patient nature, they get along very well with children. They accept strangers easily and your friends will be theirs. They are curious creatures and a careful eye has to be kept on them when they are taken to new places or their curiosity will get the better of them and they will wander off and often get into trouble. They like to run free and love being let loose in off leash areas. But before doing this make sure that you never take your eyes off the dog, or he will go exploring leaving you to go and find him!

Their Pug blood makes them sometimes a bit willful and their training as puppies has to be gentle yet firm. Being intelligent dogs, they learn fast but this same intelligence can often make them bored of repetitive tasks. Treat your Puggle with the intelligence he deserves and you will be fine. Another thing to remember is that they have an independent streak and need to be reminded who the boss is.

Affectionate and playful, the Puggle does not like to be left alone for extended periods of time. They tend to seek out occupied rooms of the house, so it is important that part of their training is to get used to being alone for reasonable periods of time. Crating a Puggle is a good way of doing this. The crate training has to be done slowly and carefully so that they come to look upon the crate as a place of their own, where the dog’s natural den instincts will allow him to feel comfortable. Having said this, Puggles are not the kind of dogs who will be happy alone at home from morning to night while you are away at work.

The Puggles are active dogs and needs their exercise. Playing around the house will use up some of their energy, but they will need at least one brisk walk everyday to give them enough opportunity to use up all the energy. If Puggles does not get enough exercise, their energy can turn into nervous energy at home and will affect their natural good temper.

Puggles are low maintenance dogs and all the need in the way of regular care is brushing (despite be short haired they tend to shed, especially in winter), ear cleaning, nail clipping and tooth brushing, along with regular visits to the vet for check ups.

The bottom line is that if you want a low maintenance, intelligent, friendly dog with a bit more energy than a normal lap dog but is, at the same time, very suitable for apartment life, the Puggle is a very good option.

Christy Taylor, author, is a breeder of Puggles. She also is the proud owner of her very own Puggles. Learn more about Puggles by visiting her website at http://www.pugglehugs.com